FIRST ON FOX: The Senate’s newest member is reviving an issue that has echoed through the halls of Congress for years, and one that, if successful, could turbocharge energy production in the U.S.Sen.Alan Armstrong, R-Okla., who was appointed to replace Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this year, has one priority in the few months that he has been the Sooner State’s junior Senator: permitting reform. It’s not one of the sexy, bombastic issues on the Hill, but it’s one that has percolated among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for years.
And one that has never quite made it to the finish line. IN 2026, ENERGY WAR’S NEW FRONT IS AI, AND US MUST WIN THAT BATTLE, API CHIEF SAYSSen.Alan Armstrong, R-Okla., participates in his ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S.
Capitol on March 24, 2026.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)But for Armstrong, who stepped down as CEO of the Oklahoma-based natural gas processor and transporter Williams Companies before joining the Senate until the end of the year, the only issue that matters is gutting red tape and legal hurdles for new energy infrastructure projects that proponents argue, in the long run, could provide a boom in America’s economic competitiveness, particularly against China."There’s no magic, overnight fix to lower prices, but comprehensive, meaningful permitting reform will ensure that the U.S.
remains the global leader in energy," Williams said in a statement."When we can build our own infrastructure and produce our own supply, our allies will be far less reliant on adversarial sources for their energy." "The U.S.
cannot afford to remain idle while our global competitors move ahead, and the cost of inaction will be paid directly by American consumers through higher utility bills," he continued. RAPID RISE OF AI PUTS NEW URGENCY ON CONGRESS TO UNLEASH AMERICAN ENERGYWilliams has produced a package of bills geared toward permitting reform that com...